Project description:Segregation of homologous maternal and paternal centromeres to opposite poles during meiosis I depends on post-replicative crossing over between homologous non-sister chromatids, which creates chiasmata and therefore bivalent chromosomes. Destruction of sister chromatid cohesion along chromosome arms due to proteolytic cleavage of cohesin's Rec8 subunit by separase resolves chiasmata and thereby triggers the first meiotic division. This produces univalent chromosomes, the chromatids of which are held together by centromeric cohesin that has been protected from separase by shugoshin (Sgo1/MEI-S332) proteins. Here we show in both fission and budding yeast that Sgo1 recruits to centromeres a specific form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Its inactivation causes loss of centromeric cohesin at anaphase I and random segregation of sister centromeres at the second meiotic division. Artificial recruitment of PP2A to chromosome arms prevents Rec8 phosphorylation and hinders resolution of chiasmata. Our data are consistent with the notion that efficient cleavage of Rec8 requires phosphorylation of cohesin and that this is blocked by PP2A at meiosis I centromeres. Keywords: ChIP-chip, Mitosis, Meiosis, Cell cycle, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Chromosome VI tiling array, Sgo1, Pp2A, Cse4, Ndc10, Rts1, Rec8
Project description:FACT mediates cohesin function on chromatin Cohesin is a key regulator of genome architecture with roles in sister chromatid cohesion and the organisation of higher-order structures during interphase and mitosis. The recruitment and mobility of cohesin complexes on DNA are restricted by nucleosomes. Here we show that cohesin role in chromosome organization requires the histone chaperone FACT. Depletion of FACT in metaphase cells affects cohesin stability on chromatin reducing its accumulation at pericentric regions and binding on chromosome arms. Using Hi-C, we show that cohesin-dependent TAD (Topological Associated Domains)-like structures in G1 and metaphase chromosomes are disrupted in the absence of FACT. Surprisingly, sister chromatid cohesion is intact in FACT-depleted cells, although chromosome segregation failure is observed. Our results uncover a role for FACT in genome organisation by facilitating cohesin dependent compartmentalization of chromosomes into loop domains.
Project description:To ensure equal separation of DNA, sister chromatids are held together from S phase to metaphase–anaphase transition by a multiprotein complex called cohesin. This makes it possible to establish chromosome biorientation, counteracts the pulling force of mitotic spindle microtubules, preventing premature sister chromatid separation, and ensures precise segregation of sister DNAs into daughter cells In order to better understand how the sister chromatid cohesion process is regulated we looked for new cohesin interacors. We constructed a yeast strain endogenously expressing TAP-tagged Scc1 (Scc1-TAP). Next, we performed a single-step TAP purification using an untagged strain (mock sample) or a strain expressing Scc1-TAP, followed by identification of co-purifying proteins by MS.
Project description:The accurate segregation of chromosomes during mitosis relies on the attachment of sister chromatids to microtubules from opposite poles, called biorientation. Sister chromatid cohesion resists microtubule forces, generating tension which provides the signal that biorientation has occurred. How tension silences the surveillance pathways that prevent cell cycle progression and correct erroneous kinetochore-microtubule attachments remains unclear. Here we identify SUMOylation as a mechanism that promotes anaphase onset upon biorientation. SUMO ligases modify the tension-sensing pericentromere-localized chromatin protein, shugoshin, to stabilize bioriented sister kinetochore-microtubule attachments. In the absence of SUMOylation, Aurora B kinase removal from kinetochores is delayed. Shugoshin SUMOylation prevents its binding to protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and release of this interaction is important for stabilizing sister kinetochore biorientation. We propose that SUMOylation modulates the kinase-phosphatase network within pericentromeres to inactivate the error correction machinery, thereby allowing anaphase entry in response to biorientation.
Project description:The ring-shaped cohesin complex links sister chromatids until their timely segregation during mitosis. Cohesin is enriched at centromeres, where it provides the cohesive counter-force to bi-polar tension produced by the mitotic spindle. As a consequence of spindle tension, centromeric sequences transiently split in pre-anaphase cells, in some organisms up to several micrometeres. This ‘centromere breathing’ presents a paradox, how sister sequences separate where cohesin is most enriched. We now show that in the budding yeast S. cerevisiae, cohesin binding diminishes over centromeric sequences that split during breathing. We see no evidence for cohesin translocation to surrounding sequences, suggesting that cohesin is removed from centromeres during breathing. Two pools of cohesin can be distinguished. Cohesin loaded before DNA replication, that has established sister chromatid cohesion, disappears during breathing. In contrast, cohesin loaded after DNA replication is partly retained. As sister centromeres re-associate after transient separation, cohesin is re-loaded in a manner independent of the canonical cohesin loader Scc2/Scc4. Efficient centromere re-association requires the cohesion establishment factor Eco1, suggesting that re-establishment of sister chromatid cohesion contributes to the dynamic behaviour of centromeres in mitosis. These findings provide new insights into cohesin behaviour at centromeres. Keywords: ChIP-chip